Within many industrial areas it is necessary to measure accurately the magnitude of a force. An example of a load cell for the measurement of a force in a horizontal direction is known.
A load cell described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,762 is arranged with two parallel beam. The two parallel beams are joined by side beams, making up a four sided frame, and the two parallel beams are also joined by one or more measuring zones. As a result of a load F applied to the load cell in a direction parallel to the two parallel beams, a shear force is applied to the one or more measuring zones joining the two parallel beams. The shear force in the measuring zones is measured by a magnetoelastic sensor of the Pressductor type.
This load cell has a long service life, tolerates overloads well and performs accurately in service. However, this load cell requires a certain minimum load in order to generate a useable measurement signal.